John Fleming on Free Trade

No to Ex-im bank; No to fast-track

Ballotpedia.org analysis of Congressional voting record on trade issues:
• Voted NAY on Trade adjustment assistance (TAA): On 6/12/15, the House rejected the TAA measure in HR 1314 by a vote of 126 to 302. TAA is a federal program providing American workers displaced by foreign trade agreements with job training and services.
• Voted NAY on Trade promotion authority (TPA): On 6/12/15, the House narrowly passed the TPA measure in HR 1314 by a vote of 219 to 211. TPA would give the president fast-track authority to negotiate trade agreements sent to Congress without the opportunity for amendment or filibuster.
• Voted NAY on Export-Import Bank: On 10/27/15, the House passed HR 597, the Export-Import Bank Reform and Reauthorization Act, by a vote of 313-118. The bill allows the Export-Import Bank to resume offering assistance in the form of loans and insurance to foreign companies that want to buy U.S. goods.

Rated 50% by the USAE, indicating a mixed record on trade.

Ratings by USA*Engage indicate support for trade engagement or trade sanctions. The organization's self-description: "USA*Engage is concerned about the proliferation of unilateral foreign policy sanctions at the federal, state and local level. Despite the fact that broad trade-based unilateral sanctions rarely achieve our foreign policy goals, they continue to have political appeal. Unilateral sanctions give the impression that the United States is 'doing something,' while American workers, farmers and businesses absorb the costs."

USA*Engage at Work
• Developing the Case: USA*Engage explains the benefits of economic engagement, and the high cost of sanctions for American exports, investment and jobs.
• Education: We recruit respected foreign policy and economic experts to speak out against sanctions, actively engage the media and provide outreach to key target states and Congressional districts.
• Contacting Government Officials: USA*Engage directly contacts Congressional, Administration, state and local officials.

VoteMatch scoring for the USA*Engage ratings is as follows :

• 0%-49%: supports trade sanctions;
• 50%-74%: mixed record on trade engagement;
• 75%-100%: supports trade engagement.